“There are many who say, ‘Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!’” Psalm 4:6
Devotion:
We all wish that life were more linear. It would be great if we moved seamlessly from one logical moment to the next. It would feel comforting to know that each step in life would climb us further up the ladder toward our desired end. But that isn’t reality. And Psalm 4 follows a more realistic path.
After dealing with the goodness of God in the midst of a life turned upside down, David turns once more to what is going on around him. This is the pattern of life, even for those who love the Lord deeply. We are weak, and the world around us has a way of influencing us. This is what creates the need for fighting the good fight of faith.
So what is David hearing around him? People questioning if anyone is on the side of God’s people. We all want allies, but sometimes it seems that God’s people have none. We feel like we are all alone in this world, and we feel like we can never get the upper hand. Life with God, we think, ought to lead to victory in this life. Yet at times, like David, we seem to find ourselves in lose-lose situations.
But David trains us in what to search after in these moments. When all the world seems to be against us and when there are no allies to be found in this world—it is then that we most desperately turn to God Himself. When everything else is stripped away, we are cast upon the Lord. If His face is shining on us, we have all we need. If His face is shining upon us, then we have all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. If His face is shining on us, then you can take the whole world, but we have the One on our side who will ultimately make us more than conquerors.
Prayer:
God, when the world is turned upside down, it hurts even more when those around us tempt us to doubt. When we aren’t experiencing good and there seems to be no hope for the future, it can make us wonder if there is anyone on our side. But we know, Lord, that You have promised not to leave us nor forsake us.
Turn our eyes to the cross of Jesus, that we might be reminded You are on our side. We know that our hope is found in the fact that Christ died in lonely agony. All darkness fell upon Jesus so that we might know the light of Your face. Shine that light in our hearts, that we might trust You fully and completely. In Jesus’ name, we worship and pray. Amen.
